lately when i am making rings i try to fuse the shanks instead
of soldering. when using 14k yellow i fire coat and fuse wih a
hot pointy flame. at first blush the seam looks fine. even when i
file down and polish there is no trace of a seam but when i go to
round up on the mandrel it usually cracks there. any suggestions
? thanks to all who respond. sb in hotlanta
Dear Ryr,
I was thinking of the way I usually work. I use alot of
chemical processing. I would not include cold connections,
metal forming, chasing, etc. I would be careful with soldering:
if I were to have another child at this point I would probably
teach my husband how to solder for me. I have asthma and because
of this I don’t use plastic resins. The one time I didn’t bother
with ventilation during patina application my respiratory system
became highly sensitive for several weeks. Pregnant or not we
all have our own limitations.
Pauline